Carytown & Museum District News Events in Richmond Virginia, West of the Boulevard

June 20, 2008

8 Comments.

1. Interesting, I was just thinking, what if we had no cars in Carytown!

   And then I visit the paper’s website and bam…

   http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-06-20-0244.html

   Daniel @ June 20th, 2008 at 3:14 pm

2. Hurrah! What a great idea Goldman!! I’ve always wanted this for Carytown.

   Regardless: has anyone bothered to try and park in the two free parking decks in Carytown? Someone should go and monitor the number of cars in them over the course of the week. I feel like no on knows they are even there.

   And plus, why would you want to park *on* Cary St. It’s like a death wish.

   Ross @ June 21st, 2008 at 9:11 am

3. Ugh, no! Goldman’s idea for a car free Carytown is AWFUL! I live in Carytown South, and all the cars would end up in our neighborhood. I love Carytown. There is nothing wrong with it. Why screw up a good thing?

   Plus, if you wanted to visit the new car-free Carytown, you’d have to park a few blocks away and walk, even if you were just hopping in. People who work in Carytown will take up all the close parking in the alleys (which would be full of traffic, great) and this would decrease business.

   Goldman lost my vote.

   Andy @ June 23rd, 2008 at 8:54 am

4. How could they widen the sidewalks a bit for planting beds. Having lived blocks from the “Mag Mile” in Chicago it is always disappointing to be in a shopping district that is drab and somewhat littered.

   Any word on shops moving into the vacant spaces? A moderate priced men’s shop would be nice. How about a small hardware store?

   Gary HUFF @ June 26th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

5. Hey Cary HUFF,

   There’s varied words about shifts and shufflings about the empty spaces scattered throughout this site. We’ve got a video game store going into the former Decor, Glassboat is moving into another space, Penzey’s spices moved in, something is going into the former Elephant’s Toe. But that’s just a few.

   For a bit of history, S & K used to have a big men’s store in what became Pirouzan Oriental Rugs, way back in the early 1980s, and it was actually boarded up for awhile.

   Carytown within the past 15 years had two hardware stores that had been there between them probably 40 years, one of which was Lorraine, that half-Tudor place that forms part of Leo Burke now.

   That there isn’t a hardware store today in Cartown is more symptomatic of the problems small hardware retailers–and small retailers period–have had in the face of national franchises.

   Harry @ June 27th, 2008 at 11:11 am

6. Is the small hardware store behind VCU on Cary St. still there?

   daniel @ June 27th, 2008 at 2:41 pm

7. Andy, I don’t think Goldman should lose anyone’s vote over this idea. Good or Bad – it’s something worth looking at. Would this really improve Carytown?

   Eric @ June 30th, 2008 at 11:44 am

8. Slow down the traffic with two way streets and improve the public spaces. The master plan we all bled over calls for the removal of one way streets in favor two way traffic to slow traffic and improve “walkability”. I think blocking the street limits accessibility of outside traffic which is the area’s life’s blood. Folks are not parking in the decks as it is, why would they start if the street were to be blocked off. Slow down the traffic and the area is plenty pedestrian friendly as it is. Advertising the decks might help but until there are lights and cameras visitors will be leery. Best of luck to CT merchants association in getting that worked out.

   There is also something more fundamental and much easier to manage that does not involve monkeying with the traffic pattern. Regardless of rents, many shop owners are not taking care of their store fronts, most of the tree wells look like crap, and their are weeds in the cracks of most sidewalks and even in the street at the curb. Those that do take care of their responsibilities understand that it is not extra but a requirement for a healthy business to keep your storefront looking welcoming and well cared for.

   I think the four hour parking limit is a good start but if the point to the parking “question” is that resolving it is the panacea to all Carytown challenges, I think the work necessary is further up on the sidewalk than in the street.

   Fiona @ June 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pm

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